tisdell



ABNER G. TISDEIJL, 0F BROOKLYN, NEW' YORK.

PHOTGGRAPHIG SPECIFIC'ATIGN forming part of Letters Application filed August 20, .1887.

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that i., Annen TisDnL., a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Photographic-Fiato Holders, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to plateholders for photographie cameras; and it consists in a novel construction oi' parts of the traine of the plate-holder which conduces to its strength.

My invention also relates to the devices used for holding the plate in the holder.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure l is a transverse section through one side of the frame of a piateholder as new constructed. Fig. 2 is the saine view through one side of the frame of s plate-holder constructed according to niy invention. Figs. and 4 are respectively front and end views ofthe platesholder upon which my invention is made, Fig. 3 being broken away at several places to show details. Fig. 5 is a transverse section ou the line .r x, Fig. 3, showing my improved construction of Yframe and device for holding the plate in the holder. Figs. 6 end Z are detailed views, hereinafter to be described.

I will now describe the lirst part of niy invention.

Ph otographieplntc holders nre usually coinposed oi' a top piece and three sections fast cned together, one on either side and one at the bottoni. rlhroiigh the top section and in grooves in the side and bottoni sections the exposing-shutters nieve. I

In Fig. l ol" the drawings there is shown in section` one of the side sections, A, of a double plate-helder, having the grooves c, a lfor the exposing-shutters B B cnt in it. The grain of the wood used in making these sections runs lengthwise of each of the pieces composing the freine, and `when the grooves a. u are cnt the portions C C/ are very fragile and are constantly liable to breakage in reinoving and replacing the plates in the holder, for it will be evident that when the exposing-shutters are out of the grooves the pieces (l C can easily be broken it thin, for they break directly in line with ihe gr in of the wood, and the plateholder will thus be rendered useless. If in PLATE HGLDF.

Patent No. 386,907, dated July 3ll 1888.

Serial No. lV/,lill (Model.)

this construction the pieces C C are left thick enough to be strong,the plate-holder becomes thick and bulky. to ineke a light, cheap, and strong Wooden plate-holder, is the primary object of iny invention, and I accomplish it in the following Way:

I may iirst tnke, for the purpose of making either of the side sections or bottoni section of the tranne-for iny invention is not applicable to the top section, F, ci' the iranienthree pieces of Wood, as D, and unite them nt the corners in the proper way to ineke a frame. Each piece of wood I) is te have the groin run lengthwise of the piece, as shown hy the arrow in Fig. Li. I, however, for these central frame-sections use strips ot' Wood, which are thinner than the finished frame, as shown at D in 2, and 5. I next preferably glue on beth sides ofthe three pieces I) other pieces, E E E, of Wood. (Best shown at Figs. 2 and Li.) These pieces of Wood Il E E have the grain running ior the several sections, as shown by the arrows in Fig. 3. rihe slots (L c for the exposing-shutters I3 B may now he cut Wholly, as shown in Fig. 2, in the exterior piece, or the slot may he cut partly in the eX- terior pieces, IE E E, and partly in the central piece, D, the grooves heing in each ease cut into the end oi' the grain ci" the wood. The previously-descriloed fragile portions C C Will now be found to be strong euddniaole by rca son of the direction of he grain oi the Wood in relation te the grooves a c, and the said port-,ions C C may he made very niueh thinner than the like parts in Fig. l and still be suiliciently strong, wnich would not he the case were the grooves a c cut in a piece ofwood having the grain running as A in Fig. 1.

The object ol` having the grain run in the exterior pieces, E E E, as described, is to give strength for the portions C U, and the object of having the grain run, as described, for the central piece, D, is to give strength to the seetions and to form a support for he exterior I prefer to cut the grooves To remedy this defect, and

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a a. entirely in the exterior pieces, E E E, for by so doing I obtain the maximum area of wood obtainable to hold the pieces of each section together by gluing.

It is not necessary to describe the upper section, F, of the frame, though I have illustrated it iu the drawings. v Y

I am well aware that it is old to unite sheets of veneering with their grains crossing each other 'for the purpose of strength and the prevention of warping, composite material of this character being used :for perforated chair-bottoms, mats for picture-frames,and for like purposes; and hence I desire to be understood as not considering myself to be the inventor,

broadly considered, of a frame or other article made up of thin sheets of wood united with their grains crossing each other.

I will now describe the other portion of my invention.

In Fig. 5, G is the light trap common to this kind of a plate-holder, and II II are projeetions which assist in holding the plate-holder within the camera, and are raised on the side pieces, I l, made separate from the frame.

In Fig. 5, J is the plate in position in the l holder.

K is the back of the holder, forming in this case the dividing-partition of a double plateholder, such as here illustrated.

L is a head-block at the top of the plateholder and against which the plate is pushed by the spring M at the bottom of the holder. (Best seen in Fig. 3.) Of course, although I have not shown it, the holder is provided with corner-pieces or their equivalents at the bottom, as is common in all holders.

The head-block L,against which the plate is forced by the spring, is in my invention beveled inwardly, as at b b', and the spring M presses Lthe upper and outer edge, c, of the plate J against this beveled surface. Thus the spring-pressure where the plate meets the bevel ofthe head-block is transformed into a force tending to hold the plate against the back or partition K of the holder, and in this way the plate is securely held in position and is not liable to be jarredforward or from under the beveled or undercut head-block L. The head-block may extend part way or the whole way across the top of the holder.

At Figs. 6 and 7 is shown two of the methods in use for holding the plate at the top in plateholders,in which the plate is inserted through the opening made by withdrawing the expos ing shutter, which is the class of holder to which my present invention especially relates.

In Fig. 6 the head-block L is undercut so as to lock the plate J positively within the holder, the spring below keeping the plate up in the groove d thus formed.

In Fig. 7 the bottom of the head-block L is straight, and the plate J is kept from falling forward against the slide or out, when the slide is remqved, merely by the friction ofthe plate agains't' the bottom of-the block.

The method shown in Fig. 6 secures the plate perfectly; but its use is annoying, and it is difficult to remove the plate from the holder. The method shown in Fig. 7 alone does not hold the plate with suflicient security at the top, andit is apt to be jarred forward, so that it will come in contact with the slide; and in plate-holders having head-blocks like those in Fig. 7 other devices are used to insure the retention of the plate. By my method, however, of beveling the head-block so that the upward force of the spring causes the plate to be pushed inward and away from the slide, no danger of displacing the plate exists, and the plates can be put in andtaken out of the holders through the slide-openings very easily.

It will be seen from an examination of Fig. 5 that the beveled portions of the head-blocks extend outward directly from the septum or back K, so that the plate will be held securely regardless of its thickness.

To remove the plate the slide is first taken out, and the holder being held in a position slightly inclined from the perpendicular toward the plate to be removed, its lower edge is struck upon the palm of the hand, when the plate will drop out through the slide-opening.

I have illustrated my invention in the drawings as for a double-plateholder. Itis equally applicable for use in single-plate holders. If it is' used in a single-plate holder, the sections will be made thinner and the set of grooves a a in the pieces E E E will be omitted on one side and the partition K will form the back of holder.

When my invention is used in the manufacture of singleplate holders, I still have to use the three pieces, as before described, for each section, though'only the exterior piece on one side of each section is grooved, for if this were not done the sections would warp.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

1. As a new article of manufacture, a photographic-plate holder having frame-sections each composed of three pieces of wood suitably attached, the grain of the central pieces running lengthwise of the sections and the grain ot' the exterior pieces running at right angles to the grain of the central pieces, the said frame being provided with a shutter groove or grooves formed in the said exterior' pieces transverse to the grain thereof, substantially as described.

2. In a photographic-plate holder provided with an exposing-shutter and grooves for the said shutter, the combination of the pieces D D D and the pieces E E E, and the grooves for the exposing-shutter, formed in the pieces E, transverse to the grain thereof, the grain of the several pieces composing the sections running substantially as described.

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3. In a photographie-mate holder, the com- I Signed at New York, in the County 0f New [o biuaton of the frame having grooves for the York and State of New York, this 17 th day of exposing-plate, a back, K, a Spring which August, A. D. 1587. forces the plate upward, aud a head-block lying close to the said back K and having'its edge ABNER G. TISDELLt adjaeent thereto beveled to the same, as at b, whereby the force of the spring is caused to 7Witnesses: press the plate close against the back, substiml B. T. VETTERLEIN,

muy as dew-ibm. l G. W. BORCHERS. 

